Wednesday Morning Coffee: Former Sen. Jane Orie appeals her sentence.

Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
We're on the road today and blogging from one of our Commonwealth's finer Green Cup chain coffee establishments. As is so often the case in these instances, we're running late and severely under-caffeinated, so we'll just get right on with things.

Orie's attorney, William C. Costopoulos, of Harrisburg, filed the notice to appeal with the state Superior Court on Monday. The two-page filing does not provide reasons for the appeal. Costopoulos did not return the newspaper's calls for comment.

The Allegheny County Republican was sentenced to 2.5 years to 10 years in jail on June 4 after being found guilty on 24 public corruption counts. She's serving her sentence at the state prison in Crawford County.

The rest of today's news starts now.

Our Condolences This Morning ...
... to the family of state Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-Lancaster, whose son, Ryan Brubaker, 21, has died of what officials are describing as an accidental drug overdose.

According to the Associated Press:

"Police said Tuesday that Ryan Brubaker's body was discovered shortly after 8 a.m. by a family member at their home in Lancaster County. Brubaker is the son of state Sen. Michael Brubaker.
Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantonitold the Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era that the young man's death appears to be an accident, and a toxicology report is forthcoming.

The younger Brubaker had several drug-related charges and driving-under-the-influence charges pending against him in court.

In one case, he was charged earlier this year after police say he exchanged prescription drugs with another young man, who later died of a drug overdose.

The State Has Made ...
... its first monthly report of voter registrations at public welfare offices. It's the result a of the settlement of a lawsuit over its obligation to help beneficiaries join the voter rolls, the Post-Gazette reports this morning.
The July tallies predate the mid-August settlement, the newspaper reported.
Of its 27,738 beneficiaries through the WIC nutrition program, the Department of Health said 16,406 clients were already registered to vote, while 729 took voter registration applications and 162 completed applications for the agency to deliver, the newspaper reported.
The Department of Public Welfare reported it served 371,002 people in July at county assistance and other offices. Of them, 131,946 said they were registered to vote, while 9,707 took voter registration applications and 839 completed applications for delivery by the agency, the PG reported.

Gov. Tom Corbett ...
... said this week that he's not expecting any "snafus" on Election Day because of Pennsylvania's controversial voter identification law -- which is the subject of a state Supreme Court hearing on Thursday.
"Here's the question: I keep hearing 'snafus' Let me see your driver's license;' That's what it is," Corbett told reporters after an appearance in Lebanon County on Monday. "It's 'Do you have photo ID?' Either you come in, you sign in, I'm basing it upon my ward, my polling place. I sign a sheet of paper. The only thing I'm going to do different is show them a photo ID.
"So I see no reason for a snafu there," Corbett said after being asked whether the Department of State was ready to implement the law requiring people to show photo identification every time they vote.
Opponents of the law say it's not that simple, charging that those with long-expired IDs or, for instance, married women whose names on voter rolls and their ID cards don't match, could be turned away.
"There's still a lot of misunderstanding on what constitutes a proper form of identification," state Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton, said. "There's a much narrower scope than people think there is."

Pennsylvania Is No Longer A Hotbed ...
... of teacher strikes, the Pennsylvania Independent reports this morning. That honor, as most readers know, now goes to the Windy City, which is in the throes of a closely watched walkout.

What Goes On.
The House Judiciary Committee meets at 10 a.m. in State College borough hall to discuss ... wait for it ... alcohol abuse in college towns. We're unclear if site was selected by the panel's Heavy Handed Symbolism Subcommittee.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).
Doing his level best to put the rest to notion that Democrats are effete snobs, state House candidate Mark McCracken holds a campaign kick-off/wine-tasting event tonight at 6 p.m. Working in McCracken's favor -- the event is in Clearfield, Pa. Admission is $250.
State Sen Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, holds a 7 p.m. reception at Foxley Farms in scenic Ligonier, Pa. Admission is $500. Though you might get a little knocked off the top for correctly pronouncing "Ligonier."

Opponents of the law say it's not that simple, charging that those with long-expired IDs or, for instance, married women whose names on voter rolls and their ID cards don't match, could be turned away.